Oxygen is actually a 2021 French-language science fiction psychological survival horror film directed and produced by Alexandre Aja, from a screenplay by Christie LeBlanc. As part of an American-French co-production, it stars Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, and Malik Zidi. The film was released by Netflix on the 12th of May 2021.
It is a particular movie about a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there, and she must find a way out before running out of air. It is absolutely one of the movies in the sci-fi thriller genre that worth to be enjoyed for so many people especially during this period of Movement Control Order (MCO).
What ‘Oxygen’ Is About
A woman awakens in an airtight medical cryogenic unit and discovers that she is trapped and that the unit’s oxygen levels are falling rapidly. Suffering from memory loss, she does not remember who she is or how she got there. She is assisted by an advanced A.I. named M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer), but it refuses to open the cryo unit without an administrator code. Using MILO, she is able to transmit outside the pod and contact emergency services.
As the oxygen level continues to fall, she begins hallucinating and tries to open the pod, only to be electrocuted. She then receives a call back from the police but suspects they are hiding something from her, and disconnects. The unknown woman she called earlier rings and tells her that her husband is dead. She also gives her the administrator code to open the pod, but tells her she cannot open the pod or she will die. Elizabeth uses the code and begins floating without gravity. After a brief explanation, it is revealed that she has been placed into hyper-sleep for a 14 light-year journey to another planet. Her secret mission is to travel to a new planet, as mankind will be extinct in the near future due to a deadly virus.
What Can Be Said About ‘Oxygen’
Oxygen is a thrilling watch, as much for its concept and the questions it raises about what it means to be conscious, as for its exploration of what humans are willing to do to survive. This French sci-fi film plays on elements of claustrophobia and suspense to deliver a compelling, though limited, tale.
Trapped in a cryogenic chamber with oxygen levels dwindling, a woman must learn how to team up with the machine in order to escape. It is tough finding movies that keep you hooked throughout these days, most of them focusing on visuals way more than on the story and how it unfolds. Building suspense and not letting that slip away is tough.
Sources: YouTube Netflix.